The warehouse that Killer Moth had run into was dark. An ideal environment for Batman, but Moth himself was no slouch. He had all sorts of detection tools in his odd-looking helmet: night vision, infrared, LIDAR, etc. If anything at all, it evened the playing field for him.
Finally, after a few moments to breathe and arm himself, he heard the fluttering of a cape and slow, deliberate footsteps.
"It's over, Killer Moth."
Batman approached the supercriminal without fear. Killer Moth, for his part, stood his ground.
"I'll be honest, Batman," he began to say, shrugging. "I really don't want to tussle with you right now. I'll be good for a bit, so why don't you let me go?"
"Your actions tonight have already endangered too many people. Even if they hadn't, you still acted with that sort of intent. I can't let you escape."
"What can I say?" Killer Moth shook his head slowly, as if in mockery. "All part of the game."
He had already been fixing to run at that point. He had his cocoon gun gripped tightly in hand, and he only had to shoot before he started running. It would never be enough to deal with Batman, but just like the diversion with the Mothmobile: he only needed it to buy time.
He raised his 'firearm,' index finger already tightening to squeeze on the trigger. The bulbous projectile was already trained on Batman's looming figure. If he got lucky, it'd hit and encase the dark knight in a binding agent and buy him at least one minute.
Before anything could really happen—
Krash—!
Another masked figure joined them suddenly, literally crashing through the rusted warehouse walls. Since the connections have weathered so much, a sizeable portion of the wall surrounding the impact zone came down with a loud screech. The purple electric arcs dancing around the invader lit up the area, though they slowly died down. That ominous light was soon replaced by the faint, pale moonlight that it had once overwhelmed.
'Manticore...' Batman squinted a little, observing the rookie vigilante. Killer Moth immediately went on guard, hesitating to run because Batman would definitely capitalize on the confusion. Staying put would allow him some breathing room, even if it let Batman retain his edge.
There was one thing he didn't like about this, though...
'This guy just crashed through five millimeters of steel! He tackled an entire van into rolling earlier. He is not normal!'
Such were the panicked complaints running through Killer Moth's mind.
During the brief lull, Lucian— currently Manticore —took the time to dust himself off.
'Yep... definitely dropkicking things instead of tackling them. Damn, my shoulder hurt earlier.'
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
[[ Notice! ]]
[[ New Quest: Test Drive ]]
Description: You have finally met an individual that can match you in overall skill. Test yourself against them without using One for All's active boost and see how you compare.
There also happens to be an ally leagues above you... if you want, they could show you a peek of the heights you could reach.
Time Limit: none
Objectives:
[1] Challenge the supercriminal before you.
[2] Challenge the super-vigilante before you.
Rewards:
[1]
- [ a ] Victory will earn you 500 EXP, as well as a D-grade item of your choosing.
- [ b ] Loss will earn you 250 EXP, as well as a random consolation junk item.
[2]
- [ a ] Victory will earn you 2,000 EXP, as well as an A-grade item of your choosing; or one Intermediate non-class Ability of your choosing.
- [ b ] Loss will earn you 1,000 EXP, as well as a random consolation C-grade item; or one Basic non-class Ability of your choosing.
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
'Well, shit! Talk about a golden opportunity...'
If getting involved in major business yielded prospective results this good, Lucian felt that he should've gotten around to it much sooner.
Did that mean completely throwing caution to the air? Not really, but to a major extent, yes. Still, it felt worth it to him.
"Yo, Bats!" Manticore greeted, waving at Batman.
Batman grunted in acknowledgement, lending the Manticore his ears, but keeping the rest of his senses on Killer Moth.
"Wouldja let me take this guy on? I've been really wanting to test my skills, but nobody was ever really good enough. I got a good feeling about him, though..."
Batman contemplated the proposal for a few seconds, and eventually agreed. "How does Manticore's proposal sound to you, Drury Walker?"
'Using my legal name in front of the new guy? Dirty move, Batman... but I respect it,' mused Drury. "Alright, but under one condition: you'll let me go after we're done."
"I will," said Batman.
Manticore himself was surprised, but quickly understood the scheme. 'He probably wants me to take this Walker guy to the authorities myself...'
Satisfied with that logic, Lucian took Batman's place as the latter melded into the shadows in the background.
Killer Moth started making casual strides to circle around Lucian. The action was mirrored, and they both slowly sized each other up, circling the edges of an imaginary ring.
"So... Manticore, huh? Sounds an awful lot like a villain name..."
Lucian shrugged in response to Walker's pseudo-taunt. "Took it for the scare factor. Roughly translates to 'man eater.' What do you call yourself?"
"Killer Moth. You new to the business?"
"Was it that obvious?"
During the exchange, Manticore saw the slightest twitch in Killer Moth's finger. He was ready.
As soon as the cocoon gun fired on him, he had already stepped aside. The bulbous projectile sailed past him, hitting the ground dozens of feet away. It exploded into a goopy mass on impact, quickly hardening into a tough, porous material as it was exposed to the air.
"Good moves, newbie," Killer Moth said genuinely. He agreed to test the new guy, so...
Manticore met his opponent halfway and engaged in a bout of fisticuffs. He was outclassed in agility and combat skill, but had to hold back whenever he would strike the villain— his physical power output was that much greater, even without Full Cowling active.
From the shadows within shadows— mostly out of habit —Batman assessed the encounter with great interest.
Manticore's fighting style was rudimentary, but with his unnatural speed and overwhelming power, it was more than effective. As skilled as Killer Moth was, he was still pushed back by the sheer force behind his opponent's every move.
'This reminds me of one of my early encounters with Superman,' Batman thought, a rare soft smile gracing his lips.
"Shit, kid," Killer Moth said between gasps and huffs. "You're pretty good at this—"
He was cut off by a surprise uppercut from his blind spot. Petty banter mid-combat was rarely a good thing to engage in, but this battle wasn't too serious. He could afford to joke around a bit.
"Thanks!" Manticore shot back while his opponent was recovering from the close call. "I gotta say, you're really giving me a workout here."
"Says the guy who's not even slightly winded!"
The little impromptu duel continued. Rather than beating Killer Moth with overwhelming force or greater skill, an entirely different aspect of Manticore helped him push through: extreme stamina and endurance.
Every time Killer Moth landed a blow on him, he shrugged it off without issue. Anything that did hurt him, even in the slightest, [Minor Regeneration] could take care of.
It was the complete opposite for Killer Moth. He landed the most blows out of that fight, but every single hit from Manticore hit like a log swinging from a rope. Even when Moth did land a hit, it felt like slugging a sandbag filled with gravel, with the outer casing wrapped in chain or scale mail.
The battle ended unceremoniously, and Manticore turned to Batman. As he did Killer Moth let himself sprawl out on the warehouse floor.
"How'd I do?" asked Manticore.
Batman approached noiselessly, keeping the exhausted Killer Moth within eyeshot. "Really well," he answered. "Where'd you get your training?"
"I'm self-taught."
'That makes sense,' thought Batman. Manticore's movements displayed clear experience, but they were still unrefined. As he is now, though... it was more than good enough.
"Hey, so... I could turn Killer Moth in myself. After that, how about a spar?"
'He's even challenging me now?' Batman couldn't help snickering internally. 'This kid's ambitious...'
"Alright," he eventually agreed.
"No complaints from me," Killer Moth groaned from the side. "That guy hits like a truck... I don't think I can run away and make it home now anyway..."
...
[ Host. ]
'Yeah, Penny?'
[ You can claim partial rewards for quests. That way, you can use them as like, a bit of a pick-me-up, power boost, or a little early treat. What do you say to claiming the first quest reward? ]
Lucian peered up at the hazy night sky, his attention divided between that and the unconscious Killer Moth slung over his shoulder.
'Let's pretend to go on a bathroom break after turning him in. I'll pick up the reward then.'
[ Gotcha. ]
Lucian went and did just that. His level rose to 11, with 1,316 more EXP needed to hit level 12. The rest of his stats became as follows:
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Host: Lucian Albrecht
Matrix: Quirk User: One for All
Level: 11
Classes: [Brawler - Level 3] ; [Acrobat - Level 5] ; [Criminal - Level 3]
-[ Attributes ]-
Power: 33 [58 with Full Cowling]
Vitality: 33 [58 w/ FC]
Agility: 33 [58]
Intellect: 22
Mentality: 23
Spirit: 22
Luck: 0
Free Attribute Points: 0
New class ability unlocked!
Criminal:
[3] Opportunistic Instinct: More than even experienced people, you can easily find openings to capitalize on in any situation. In battle, business, conversation, negotiations; this ability can be helpful for any type of people dealing in shady business. Are you an assassin? Instinctively understand your opponent's habits and blind spots! Are you a charlatan? You now have an accurate idea of what makes your targets tick!
– ৹ – ৹৹◎৹৹ – ৹ –
Beyond the usual benefits, Lucian was most excited about what new item he might get. Batman probably noticed him going into a public restroom, so he could afford to take his time choosing.
With so many options in the items list— keeping in mind that Penny's selection literally encompassed all of Earth's IPs from every time period —Lucian made use of the filtering feature...
He ended up with the Tiger Climbing Gear from Terraria. He wasn't sure how long it'd take for him to get any class or non-class abilities that'd let him stick to walls, so he took these.
Luckily, despite being claws and spikes, the Tiger Climbing Gear didn't need to pierce into whatever Lucian wanted to stick to. The wall-sticking and climbing that they granted worked more like Spider-Man's 'stickiness.'
He didn't worry about Batman seeing him with the new equipment, either; he quickly imbued the new gear into his sports gloves and heavy duty boots.
...
[ Oh yeah, I forgot to mention something earlier. ]
'?'
[ You just finished the villain takedown quest, too! ]
'I'll need to reach level 13 soon... That means ending someone's life after it, though... let's look for Zsasz or Calendar Man later, or something.'
◎ ◉ ◎
Batman approached Drury Walker's cell. Down here in the temporary holding facility, the atmosphere was darker than even Gotham's nether regions. Though the moon could be seen in the sky, its light barely illuminated what it hit.
Once again, Batman had the Gotham police commissioner's permission to enter and speak to Walker.
Just outside the dark metal bars, backlit by old yellow light bulbs, Batman's foreboding silhouette cast a looming shadow into Drury Walker's cell.
"You're gonna stay in Blackgate for a while."
"Kheh... fine by me," Walker smirked, though it wasn't visible as he was hunched over, sitting on the wooden 'bed' in his cell.
Batman sighed. "I know you'll manage to get out eventually. Why not change? You could really use your skills elsewhere."
Walker just shook his head, looking tired. "It's not about just the skill, Batman. It's the principle." He straightened his back, then leaned against the wall behind him, looking up past the ceiling above. "The whole reason I wanted to do this was to be the anti-Batman. You can see the pattern, right?"
Batman nodded.
"Then, there you go. No can do." Walker laid down on his not-bed and turned over, facing the wall.
Sensing that the conversation had ended, Batman turned and left.
◎ ◉ ◎
"Yo!" Manticore greeted Batman once more. This time, they were meeting atop a random rooftop in central Gotham, near Robinson Park.
Looking back down to the streets, Batman stated, "This is close to where you intercepted that van."
"Mhm. Also happens to be pretty close to my neighborhood."
Batman turned to face Manticore again. "You wanted to challenge me."
"Yeah, I did. You ready now?"
Batman simply nodded. When Manticore turned to leave, he followed.
Minutes later, the two vigilantes found themselves in a compound of abandoned and broken-down buildings near Finger River.
"I'm assuming you already know that this is my hideout, so yeah. This is where we'll fight."
"Do you want to set any rules?"
Manticore thought for a moment, head down and arms crossed. "Yeah. Just one: no gadgets or weapons, or what-have you. All hand-to-hand."
"It's on, then."
Without mincing words any further, Batman charged with speeds that surprised even the super-enhanced Manticore.